World's Fastest Ocean Liner

Regarding Speed and Power. When the Big U made her record setting maiden voyage (July 3, 1952) she never exceeded 158,000 shaft horsepower on her Blue Riband crossing. That's considerably less than her 240,000 shaft horse power output ability! In normal service, the ship maintained an average 30.5 knot speed. To maintain that speed the power needed was 100,000 shp (when the ship was fresh out of dry dock) and 130,000 when the ship was due for dry docking a year later.

Official Top Recorded Speed: 38.32 knots

National Defense . The SS United States design included special structural features for extra safety speed and performance. The ship was built for high-speed long-range cruising. At the time of her build the only other vessel of similar power was the battleship Iowa (212,000 S H P). But, unlike the Iowa the SS UNITED STATES could cruise at her high power output/speed continuously - a requirement of passenger service. At speed, (35 knots) her range is 10,000 nautical miles, or the equivalent of steaming without refueling for 12 days. A present day comparison Note: May 2000: Boeing Aircraft announces plans to produced modified Boeing 777 aircrafts to allow a non-stop range of 10,000 miles. This will be the first time ever a passenger aircraft can obtain such a long nonstop range. However, the SS UNITED STATES, soon to be 50 years old, was designed for this range - while she normally transported 2,000 passengers, and 1,100 crew member. That’s about 1600 more people than your typical 777.

Safety. Not only is the SS UNITED STATES the largest liner ever built in the USA, she was also arguably the safest. Exceptional measures were incorporated in both her design and operation to maximize safety of passengers and crew. With few exceptions, the ship construction made no use of wood. Fireproofing throughout included marinite, treated fabrics, aluminum furniture and specially formulated fire-retardant paints. Her steel and aluminum construction also made her more fire resistant as well as more stable. (2,000 tons of aluminum, mostly in her superstructure - contributed to stability and performance). Extra compartments bordered by water tight doors protected in case of flooding or fire. Comprehensive and redundant emergency systems (damage control) were in place including, remotely activated water tight doors, a smoke detection system throughout the ship monitored from near the bridge, manual watches, remote control fire doors, hundreds of fire extinguishers, multiple fire pumping stations, multiple emergency backup generators, room to room telecom throughout, PA systems throughout, all aluminum lifeboats, extra flotation, double hull construction, extra thick high tensile steel plating, and fully duplicated engine/boiler rooms all combined to provide the highest degree of safety possible. Her funnels, the largest of any in the world - also served as lookouts and in bright red, white and blue stood high above the horizon (collision avoidance) as they proudly displayed the line colors.

Learn more:

Specs
Passengers & Crew
Significant Big U Dates
Public Spaces Aboard
How Big is the SS UNITED STATES?

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